The Kerala Fisheries Coordination Committee staged a dharna in front of the Raj Bhavan here on Wednesday raising the demand to bring back the two Italian Marines, who shot dead fishermen, to India and prosecute them as per the Indian law. The dharna of the coordination committee of all organisations of fish workers was inaugurated by CPM MLA Elamaram Kareem.
He said that the Italian Government’s stand that the Marines should undergo trial at the International Court could not be justified by any means and that they should undergo trial in the Indian court. It is the Indian fishermen’s right to venture out in the Indian sea and this right has to be protected by the government. The security of the fishermen should be ensured by the State Government. “The Italian Ambassador, who in writing assured the Supreme Court that the Marines would return to India, should be arrested since he went back on his promise,” Kareem said.
He called for the fishermen to unite for the common cause and to protest and raise the demand to bring back the Marines. As the next phase of the protest, the Kerala Fisheries Coordination Committee, has decided to organise an evening protest in all districts on April 1. Matsya Thozhilali Congress, CITU, INTUC, AITUC, Kerala Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation, Dheevara Sabha, UTUC, BMS, STU, Boat Operators’ Association, Janata Matsya Thozhilali Union and Matsya Thozhilali Aikya Vedi were among the organisations that took part in the protest. Fisheries Coordinaton Committee chairman V Dinakaran presided over the function. V V Sasheendran, Augustin Gomez, Fr O Mathyas, Joseph Xavier, Joseph Stanle and T Peter addressed the dharna.